My digital darling's the image of dad!

WHEN his son was born in a hospital in Finland, John Armstrong did what many a proud father has done before him. He sent a picture of the newest member of the family, who weighed in at eight-and-a-half pounds, to his sister.

And although it may not have created as much of a stir as an earlier Armstrong did by setting foot on the moon, the first picture of young Walt can certainly be seen as being a "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" moment in the era of the mobile phone.

For Accrington-born John, 36, is one of the pioneers of mobile phone technology and couldn't resist the chance to test his company's latest invention.

So, just 90 minutes after he was born, a picture of Waltteri Armstrong was being sent to friends and relatives around the world, including sister Mandy living in Sabden, so that it could be viewed on their phone handsets -- thought to be the first time that such as system has been used.

John, a former pupil at Huncoat County Primary School and Hollins High School in Accrington said: "I sent my sister a picture as soon as I could and she was delighted.

"Like everyone else, she couldn't believe that she could see a picture of her nephew on her phone.

"It was like having my friends and relatives all round the world with us in Finland. It was brilliant for all of us."

John is the consumer product manager for a company called Jippii, with a head office in Finland and bases in 20 countries.

"Ever since I was at school, I have always been interested in new technology," said John.

"That was one of the reasons why I moved to Finland which is regarded as being at the forefront of innovations."

After moving to Scandinavia, John worked for MTV Europe. It was during this time that he met his girlfriend -- and Walt's mother -- Saija Kainulaine.

He also worked for internet companies before getting involved in the mobile phone explosion.

When he returned to the UK he discovered that the knowledge he had picked up in Finland meant he was ahead of the game as far as England was concerned and he helped pioneer the trends for specialists ringtones and logos which many mobile phone users now demand.

"It isn't a field I ever thought I would end up in," he said.

John has helped create the technology which has made this latest innovation possible and which is expected to take the current craze for text messaging to the next level.

He explained how it works: "People take a photo with their digital camera and upload it on to our website. We convert their photo into a format which can be sent like a text message to other phones.

"You then ring us, tap in a special code and the number you want the image sent to and off it goes. It's quite simple really and just takes a few minutes."

It is expected that John's picture system will replace unusual ringtones as being a must for mobile users.

A major marketing campaign is being timed for the summer in time for the holiday season.

Last year clubbers' credibility was determined by the ringtone they had on their phone in resorts such as Ayia Napa and Ibiza.

This year John is hoping that they will be sending pictures of their revelry back home.

John splits his time between Finland and London, where he has a home in the Docklands.

He has also kept a house in Accrington which he uses as a base when he comes up to see his parents, who live in Rawtenstall.

"Being with your girlfriend as she gives birth in Finland can't be much more removed from growing up in Accrington," said John.

"But I do come back to Accrington as often as possible to visit friends and so on," he added.

He intends to bring Walt, now two weeks old, and girlfriend Saija to Accrington soon.

In the meantime, his friends and relatives have a lasting memory of the happy occasion of Walt's birth stored on their mobiles.

And in years to come, John can proudly turn to his son and honestly tell him "you made history."

There aren't many fathers who can do that!